Conservatives again target Obama's immigration programs in funding debate

USA Today

By Erin Kelly

September 21, 2015

Conservatives again target Obama's immigration programs in funding debate 

House conservatives are trying to cut off funding for President Obama's immigration programs as part of a spending bill to keep the federal government funded past the end of this month.

The Republican Study Committee has drawn up a bill that would defund White House programs that offer work permits and temporary legal status to some undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. It also offers those benefits to parents of U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.

"The president did not follow the law when he did this, and we need to fully defund his illegal actions," said Rep. Bill Flores, R-Texas, chairman of the committee, which is made up of more than 170 of the 247 Republican House members.

Flores has met with Republican House leaders and told USA TODAY he expects to know by mid-week if they will take up the group's proposal.

Congress is struggling to agree on a plan to keep the government funded past the end of fiscal 2015, which ends on Sept. 30. If lawmakers don't pass a funding bill, there will be a partial government shutdown on Oct. 1.

The Republican Study Committee's immigration proposals stem from executive orders that Obama issued last November to protect about 4 million undocumented immigrants from deportation.

The president expanded his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to allow undocumented immigrants who entered the United States before age 16 to stay and work legally in the U.S. for at least three years. To qualify, immigrants must have lived in the U.S. continuously since January 2010 and be in high school or have a high school diploma or an honorable discharge from the U.S. military.

At the same time, Obama ordered that the undocumented parents of U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents could apply to stay and work legally in the U.S. for up to three years without fear of deportation.

The Obama administration has been unable to carry out those programs because a federal judge issued a temporary injunction in February halting the executive orders. Texas and other states are suing to stop the orders from taking effect, arguing that the president overstepped his legal authority. The administration says the president was well within his rights to act.

Flores said it's important for Congress to take action while awaiting the outcome of the court case.

"Congress needs to go on record against this," he said. "We need to hold the president accountable."

The leader of an immigrant rights group said she finds it ironic that the Republican Study Committee's own proposal acknowledges that getting rid of the president's programs would raise the deficit.

America's Voice Deputy Director Lynn Tramonte pointed to a notation in the committee's proposal showing that eliminating Obama's programs would end up increasing the deficit by $7.5 billion over 10 years by reducing revenue from immigrants who could work legally and pay taxes.That estimate came from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.

"They even admit it's not going to save money," she said. "The one issue that conservatives value just gets thrown out the window because they're so rabid about their anti-immigrant agenda."

Tramonte said she thinks the government will ultimately be funded without ending Obama's immigration programs.

"I don't think the Senate will pass this," Tramonte said. "But what scares me is these House members are so passionate and willing to risk a government shutdown to get what they want."

Congress narrowly avoided a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security in February after the House tried to defund Obama's immigration orders and Senate Democrats blocked that effort. Lawmakers ultimately funded the agency without stripping the president's programs of money.

Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, said conservatives can use the issue for political purposes in the 2016 presidential election even if they don't win the effort to defund Obama's immigration orders.

"They're trying to force the president to own his lawless actions," said Krikorian, who opposes most efforts to give legal status to undocumented immigrants. "And, more importantly, they're trying to force the Democratic presidential nominee to either defend the president’s policies or denounce them."

For more information, go to:  www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com